Romance fiction set in Cannes, Cote d’Azur (“Nobody in Cannes worries about time”)
- Book: French Coast
- Location: Cannes
- Author: Anita Hughes
Zac Posen – Manolos – Lilly Pulitzer – Courrèges – Lanvin – Betsey Johnson – Acqua di Parma – Dior – Oscar de la Renta Stuart Weitzman – Coach – Ferragamo – Yves St Laurent – Stella McCartney – Manolos – Pucci – Gucci – Bottega Veneta
Serena is the features editor for Vogue in San Francisco and lives the cushioned lifestyle of the wealthy. Her Father is a retired Senator and she is dating Chase, who is also on the cusp of moving into politics. She is offered the chance to go to Cannes to interview Yvette Renault, the larger then life editor of French Vogue, who wants to, finally, tell her story and detail her affair with Bertrand Roland, the famous writer. This is a real coup for Serena and just before she jets off, Chase places a huge engagement ring on her finger. So far, so good!
She arrives in the middle of the Cannes Film Festival and as soon as she sets foot on French soil, her world begins to be turned upside down. The first catastrophe is that the Carlton-InterContinental has no record of her room reservation. There isn’t a room to be had because of the Film Festival. But she soon finds herself pouring her heart out to Zoe, a young and slightly needy woman with a penchant for pistachios, who invites her to take the spare room in her Cary Grant Suite. Her luck is in, though it is soon to be splintered once again by revelations of a different kind. Parents need careful managing – for both Zoe and Serena – and Serena soon acquires a stalker (though a handsome one at that) in the form of Nick, who pops up at every turn.
Life in Cannes and along the Cote d’Azur amongst the beau monde is a world away from everyday life. The Carlton-Intercontinental provides a regular buffet service for its guests in the suites atop the hotel, offering perhaps a vanilla, cinnamon or almond tea for a quick refresher. It is the lap of luxury, decked out in silk and satin, and the guests can take in the view of the glittering sea, the fishing boats and yachts from the balcony, a glass of quality wine (or a cucumber martini) in hand.
The girls regularly update their wardrobe and there are any number of couture names to drool over, Lancôme lip gloss to apply, stylish hair creations to create and gold shoes to slide onto well manicured feet. Style is absolute.
Stars promenade along the Boulevard de La Croisette, and for the reader, the gloss and glitz and blazing sun catching the ripples on the Mediterranean are palpable. This book is an immersion in the colour of Cannes, you almost feel as though you have been mingling with jetset, it is a book with sunhat and sunglasses written all over it (though the tan is extra). Explore Marché Forville, and pour over the baskets of raspberries, the racks of olive oil from Provence, and the salts from the Camargue; dine a Z Plage, pop over to Juan les Pins, Mougins, Antibes and Monte Carlo, and generally enjoy being a flâneuse with Serena and Zoe in the South of France, immerse yourself in a satisfying story of romance and glamour and sensory overload.
This review first appeared on our blog, PLUS great author QA
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